From Novice to Champion
by Rain611
Summary: Addison is a novice duelist who has been invited to play in the Duelist Kindom tournament. Will she have what it takes to come out a winner? This story conflicts with the show, and should not be compared as far as the plot goes. Rated for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Forward: I do not own YuGiOh or its characters. I just made up a plot and a couple characters.

Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 1

Addison was shaking when she stepped onto the ship. It wasn't the pair of jean shorts and loose white t-shirt she was wearing, or the gentle wind that was blowing. It was the knowledge that she was entering the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. Personally, she didn't think she was that great. Addy believed that her win at the regional tournament was a fluke; a lucky draw. No way could she be skilled enough to win the tournament, she thought.

She had heard rumors that a contestant on the ship held in their possession the five rare pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One. If this was true, then Addy's work really was cut out for her. To her knowledge, no one had yet defeated Exodia, and if she wanted to win the tournament, she would have to find a way.

Addy looked down at the palm of her hand and gazed at the two star chips that have proven to be her tickets onto the ship. Her stomach turned with anxiety, and she quickly shoved them in her front right pocket in her shorts. She continued her way up the ramp onto the ship and looked around once she was onboard. She removed her backpack, which was her only unit of baggage. It contained roughly a week supply of food and necessities, and, of course, her dueling deck. She quickly removed her deck, and began to thumb through it.

"Well, this is it." Addy told herself with a sigh. She held her deck in her left hand while she began digging in her backpack with her right. Seconds later, she pulled out her worn out deck box, and attached it to her belt. She then returned her backpack to her shoulders, and headed for her room on the ship. It was a full days' sail to the island on which the tournament would take place, and she wanted to study her deck and come up with new strategies before she got there.

When she found the closed door to her room, she was surprised to hear two male voices inside. They didn't sound too obnoxious, Addy thought, but she still wasn't thrilled about sharing a room to two potential opponents. She slowly turned the doorknob, and eased the door open. She saw two teenage boys sitting on the floor, going through their decks and talking about the upcoming tournament. When they realized that someone was entering the room, they both looked up from their conversation. One of them was a blond with a New England accent, the other had dark hair with blond bangs. They were both wearing a blue jacket and jeans. One of the boys quickly caught her attention. He had a necklace; I rare millennium item, the Millennium Puzzle. Up until now she had only heard rumors of millennium items, and her jaw almost dropped when she saw the puzzle.

"Hello," the owner of the puzzle began. "My name is Yugi," he continued, and gestured to the boy next to him. "And this is my best friend Joey. It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand as he properly introduced himself.

Addy brushed her long dark hair behind her ears with one hand as she shook his hand with the other.

"My name is Addison, but my friends call my Addy. It's nice to meet you too." She said, shyly shaking Yugi's hand. After they had introduced each other, she walked over to a bunk bed, once again removed her backpack, and lay down on the bed, still thinking about the upcoming tournament, and her new friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Addy! Addy, wake up! We're about to dock." It was Yugi's voice somewhere beyond the haze of her sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, and saw Yugi right in front of her. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, trying to wake up. Yugi was now with Joey, gathering their things and getting ready to walk out to the deck. Yugi looked upset, but Addy figured she wouldn't ask about what was bothering him quite yet…not until she knew him better.

Addy slowly came to a sitting position, once again rubbed her eyes, and yawned lazily, stretching her arms as she did so. By now Yugi and Joey were ready to go, and Addy was pleasantly surprised and a bit embarrassed when she found that they were politely waiting for her to get ready before they left the room. She moved quickly now, throwing her backpack on, and checking to make sure she had everything.

"I'm so sorry, you guys." Addy said, still a bit embarrassed. She ran her fingers through her hair to do some sloppy last minute touch ups before she finally followed Yugi and Joey to the deck. Addy was awed by the beauty of sunrise as she walked towards the front of the ship. The sky was a blend of soft pinks and purples, which fell onto an island. It was the distinctive castle they sit at the islands center that made the obvious fact known; this was Duelist Kingdom. Addy placed her hands on the rail of the ship and took a deep breath. The railing was cool beneath her hands, and the air was fresh. She had lost much of her anxieties by now, and she felt better.

"Good luck in the tournament, Addy!" It was Yugi again. This time she jumped at the sound of his voice, for she had lost herself in thought as she watched the sun rise. She looked over to him, now laughing at her clumsiness and began to smile.

"Thanks Yugi. I'll see you around, I hope." She replied, and continued to laugh as she looked at the island once again. It now looked vast as they were minutes away from the dock. Yugi's voice faded as he and Joey walked toward the ramp to leave the ship. They were finally here. It was time to show everyone, as well as herself that her arriving here was not a fluke; she was a champion in the making.

She quickly walked down the boarding ramp now, as she followed the duelists that were ahead of her. When she got to the bottom, she was asked to once again show her star ships as proof of her invite. She panicked for a few seconds, and finally remembered that she had placed them in her pocket. She retrieved them, flashed them, and was on her way.

She walked to a field a few acres inland, and sat. She pulled out her deck, and began thumbing through it again, and smiled. This had been her brother's deck before it was given to her. She remembered watching him practice for hours on end. That was why he was a national dueling champion…and she wasn't. She sighed as she returned her deck to her deck box, and was startled as she saw that there was a duelist standing in front of her. She could tell he wanted to duel, but she was hesitant. She slowly rose to her feet, and looked the boy in the eyes. He was young, perhaps ten years old.

"I challenge you to a duel." He said. "1 star chip." He held up a chip between his fingers. He had a cocky smirk on his face. Now she couldn't say no. It was time to duel.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"I accept your challenge; one star chip." Addy replied. She pulled out her deck and almost took a seat again, until she realized that the boy walked a few feet away from her to a platform. She returned her deck to her deck box, and by the time she looked up again, there was a gigantic hologram playing field in front of her. She walked to the end opposite the boy, and stepped onto the platform.

Addy placed her deck at the bottom left of the small card playing field. She placed her single wagered star chip next to it, and readied herself. She watched in awe as a lifepoint count lit up; a bright yellow 2000. She smiled slightly. At least she didn't have to keep track of life points.

"I'll go first." The obnoxious young boy said, and he drew a card from his deck. "I'll place two cards face down," he said, as two holographic cards appeared face down in the magic and trap section of his side of the holographic playing field. "And I also set one monster in defense mode." He continued. Another holographic card appeared, this time a face down card in the monster card zone appeared horizontally to symbolize its defensive position. "It's your move." He concluded.

Addy drew a card and added it to her hand. It wasn't a bad start by any means. She pulled three cards from her hand and placed them on the field. "I play three cards face down." She began. Once again, three cards appeared in the magic and trap zone, except they were on her side this time. "I summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (atk 1400, def 1200) to the field in attack mode." Addy watched in awe as a holographic representation of her guardian appeared on the field. "I end my turn."

The boy once again drew a card, and added it to his hand. "I'll place one more monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

We're not going to get anywhere with both of us defending, Addy thought to herself as she drew her card. She contemplated for a few seconds, looking at her hand, and then the field, and continued her turn. "I summon my Summoned Skull (atk 2500, def 1200) to the field, also in attack mode." She began to smile as things began to look as though they were in her favor. "Now I attach my Horn of the Unicorn to my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in order to raise his attack power to 1900." She continued, still smiling as her fortune. "Summoned Skull, attack the monster on the right." She commanded.

Her holographic fiend did as she commanded, and was suddenly destroyed.

"What did you do to my Skull?" Addy asked, shocked.

"What do you think happened, you novice? You attacked my Man Eater Bug." He said, and snickered. "Now, if you're almost done with your worthless move…" He said, and drew a card from his deck. Addy placed her Summoned Skull in the graveyard, scolding herself for her attack command. The boy began to laugh, bringing her attention to the field.

"I summon my Dark Magician (atk 2500, def 2100) attack mode!" he cried triumphantly, as the mighty spell caster appeared on his side of the field. "I now activate my Book of Spell magic card, which raises his attack power to 2800." Addy watched as a book materialized in the magician's hands and his power rose. "Next, I reveal another one of my face down cards, Swords of Revealing Light." A rain of green swords surrounded her guardian. He would now be unable to attack for three turns. "Now, I flip my Mystical Elf (atk 800, def 2000) into attack mode," he said, and his face down monster now revealed itself as a Mystical Elf card. "And last but not least, Dark Magician, attack her Guardian!"

Addy gasped as her life points dropped to 1100. Luckily, her Guardian was left on the field due to its special ability. The young boy once again chuckled, and Addy began to feel annoyed.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she was given some help with her draw. "I play Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw three cards from my deck." She drew her cards and thought for a few seconds before discarding two cards from her hand to her graveyard. "I'll switch my Guardian to defense mode, and end my turn." Addy sighed, unable to do much to improve her situation.

"I knew you'd make another worthless move. You'll never be a champion." The boy taunted, and he drew his card. "I guess since it would be pointless to attack, I'll end my turn." He said, as he pushed his hair out of his face.

Addy, by now worried about her predicament, sighed once again as she drew her card trying to remain calm. "I activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two cards from my deck." She drew two more cards, and began to calm herself now. She could work with these. "I activate my Snatch Steal magic card in order to take control of your Dark Magician." The magician disintegrated and reappeared on her side of the field. Addy once again scolded herself as she realized she had forgotten about the boy's Swords of Revealing light that was still in play. "I end my turn."

After drawing his card, the boy snickered once again as his life points were raised to 3000 due to Snatch Steal's effect. "Now that you've given me some life points, I activate De-spell in order to reclaim my Dark Magician." He said proudly. "And now I use Stop Defense in order to force your Guardian into attack mode." He said matter-of-factly as Addy was forced to watch his turn unfold. "Dark Magician, attack her Guardian again!" The boy exclaimed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"I activate my Magic Cylinders trap card to fire your attack right back at you." Addy said, as the boy got a startled look on his face, although it quickly disappeared and was replaced by one of his cocky smirks.

"I counter with my Seven Tools of the Bandit." He said slyly, and then watched his life points fall back to 2000, as Addy's dropped to a mere 200. "I end my turn."

'Okay, this is probably my last turn,' Addy thought to herself. 'I need to make something happen here.' She drew a card from her deck to begin her turn, and began to think again. "I activate my Jar of Greed trap card to draw another card from my deck." She was relieved to see what it was. "I'll use my own Swords of Revealing Light card." More swords rained onto the field, this time on the young boy's side. "I'll switch my Guardian to defense mode and end my turn."

"Once again you make a desperate attempt to save yourself from a duel that you know you've lost…" The boy said, as he drew his next card. Addy barely heard him, for she was deep in thought. "I'll set one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

Addy slowly drew her next card, as she did not expect for her luck to change. But it did. She looked at her card and smiled; it was the card that she had been waiting for. "What are you smiling about?" asked the boy with his usual smirk. "You'll see." replied Addy, still smiling and looking confident. "First, I activate Tribute to the Doomed in order to destroy your Dark Magician," Addy began, as she discarded a card from her hand in order for her magic card to work. The Dark Magician quickly disappeared, and she could tell by the look on his face that the young boy was now very upset. "Next, I activate my Monster Reborn Magic card to bring him back on my side of the field." She did so, and the powerful spell caster was once again under her control. "Now, I'll tribute your Dark Magician in order to special summon my Dark Eradicator Warlock (atk 2500, def 2100)." Addy said, still smiling. "Next, I'll attach my Horn of the Unicorn to him in order to increase his attack power to 3200. And last but not least, Dark Warlock, attack his Mystical Elf!" She cried triumphantly.

"No! There's no way!" The boy cried as he watched his life points plummet to zero. "Yay!" Addy exclaimed, and jumped in the air to celebrate her victory. After she was done celebrating, she met the boy just to the side of the platform. "One star chip, please." Addy said to him, holding out her hand. The boy hesitantly handed her the star chip and immediately left in the opposite direction. Addy took the star chip and placed it into her duelist's glove that was given to her in order to store her star chips. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at her newly earned chip.

"Hey, Addy!" It was Yugi again, and once again, Addy jumped in surprise. She turned to Yugi, still smiling. "Look Yugi! I got another star chip! You just missed it. My opponent had me down to 200 life points and I beat him in a single move! You should've seen it!" Yugi smiled back at her, and helped her enjoy her victory. "That's awesome, Addy! I'm happy for you. I wish I could've seen your duel, but I was with Joey. He just won a duel agai-" Yugi suddenly stopped as his story was continued by Joey himself. Yugi looked up at Joey and then back at Addy, who now looked a little confused as Joey began to talk. "It was awesome," Joey began. "It was kinda like your duel. I was falling behind and out of nowhere I drew the Time Wizard that Yugi gave me," he continued, motioning to Yugi. "and with one lucky spin I won the duel. And that's not even the best part. I won his Red Eyes Black Dragon!" Joey, like Addy, was now brimming with happiness as he recalled his duel with Rex Raptor. "That's awesome Joey, I guess we all got a good start huh?" Addy replied.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"So what do you know about this Pegasus guy, Yugi?" Addy asked as she, Yugi and Joey sat in front of a newly built campfire. The three had just finished settling down for the night, and were now passing the time with conversation. "Well, I know he created Duel Monsters. Supposedly he has every card ever made at his disposal. In order to win the prize at the end of the tournament, you have to defeat Pegasus in a duel." Yugi explained. Both Addy and Joey were looking at him intently now, wanting to learn what they could from him. "So," Addy began, "what are you guys playing for? I mean…what are you going to use the prize money for if you win?"

Addy watched Joey now, whose glance had just caught Yugi's as they remembered past events. "Well, Addy. I'm playing to save my grampa." Yugi said, sounding distressed. "To save your grampa? What do you mean?" Addy asked him, as curiosity grew inside her. "You see this?" Yugi asked her, holding up his millennium item. "Yes…" Addy answered, unsure of where the discussion was going to progress. "This is one of seven rare millennium items. There's a puzzle, an eye, a key, a ring, a scale, a necklace, and a rod…" Yugi paused momentarily, the other members of his party still watching him intently. "Each one has a mysterious power. And depending on who possesses the items, the power can be either good, or bad. Other than my puzzle, I've only ever seen two other millennium items; the millennium ring, which belongs to a friend of mine by the name of Bakoura, and the millennium eye, which belongs to Pegasus." Yugi explained.

"Yeah, I think I saw it on the tape he sent me along with my star chips. But what does it have to do with your grampa?" Addy asked. She was still very confused. Joey sat quietly as the two spoke. "You see, Addy, the power that the millennium eye holds…" Yugi trailed once again. "Is that it can steal souls and send them to the shadow realm. If I defeat Pegasus, I can get my grampa back." Yugi concluded. "Wow...that's so sad, Yugi. I hope you save him….And Joey? What about you?" Addy asked, now looking from Yugi to Joey.

"I'm playing for my sister." Joey replied. "She has bad eyes and will eventually go blind. I need the money to buy her operation so that she'll be able to see in the future. I promised that I would help her." He sat staring at the fire as he talked, and abruptly ended his tale about why he needed the money.

"Jeez, I'm sorry you guys," Addy began. "I feel so selfish." She looked at Yugi and Joey with a look of shame now. "I'm not playing to save a family member like you two are…." She said, and trailed, now looking at the fire and occasionally tossing twigs into it to pass time. "What are you playing for?" Yugi finally asked. "Everyone has there reasons." He continued, sounding calm and nurturing as he tried to comfort her.

"I'm playing in my brother's memory." Addy said, now looking into Yugi's eyes. "You see, my brother was champion duelist whose name is known throughout the world of Duel Monster players. After he won his last tournament, he gave me my deck." She continued, as she retrieved her cards and allowed Yugi to look through her deck. "I started playing soon after with the teachings of my brother. To my surprise, I quickly started to win several tournaments of my own." She continued, and looked back at the fire. "Just before the regional tournament that earned me a place here at Duelist Kingdom, I received the news that my brother had died in a plane crash when he was returning home after guest hosting a Duel Monsters tournament hosted by none other than Pegasus."

She switched her gazed back to Yugi, who now had a sympathetic look on his face. Addy continued. "At first, I didn't want to continue playing Duel Monsters. I stopped playing for months. But then my mom started talking to me about how important the game was to my brother, and how he would want me, like him, to become a champion duelist." Yugi returned her deck, and quickly offered his condolences. "You're not so different from us, Addy. You're not playing for the sake of yourself, like many other duelists here. I'm sure you'll be a successful duelist one day, and succeed at making your brother proud. Right Joey?" Yugi asked, as he nudged Joey and startled him out of a trance. "Oh, yeah, right. Big success, no problem, Addy." He said, sounding surprisingly sincere. "Thanks guys, you're good friends, and I don't even know you that well." Addy laughed briefly. She hadn't had friends like these since she could remember. I was a nice change.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Addy woke the next day feeling fresh and ready to duel. She rose up on one elbow and looked around. Once again, she got to view the sunrise. '_It's so beautiful…_'Addy thought to herself as she gazed upon the rich mixture of oranges, pinks and purples that now filled the sky as the sun rose. She couldn't help but smile. Today felt like a good day.

After watching the sun rise for a few minutes, she looked to her left where Yugi lay, and was surprised that he was still asleep. His head was resting on one arm, and he was snoring softly. Addy then looked in Joey's direction. He, too, was asleep, although his snoring was a bit louder. He was mumbling something that sounded like an attack command, as if he was dueling in a dream. This brought Addy's smile back.

After observing her new friends, she got out of her old purple sleeping bag and began to roll it up, and later strapped it on to her backpack. As she was doing so, Yugi woke. "Good morning, Yugi." Addy said, smiling once again. "Good morning to you too." Replied Yugi, being his usual cheery self, followed by a yawn. He ran his fingers through his hair to remove some of the acquired bed head quality, and then he too, rose to his feet. "You ready for some dueling action?" Yugi asked Addy, as she once again was thumbing through her former brother's dueling deck. "Yep, I sure am. I can't wait until I get ten star chips." She replied dreamily as she held up her duelist glove to reveal her three star chips. "How many do you have Yugi?"

Yugi held up his glove and showed her his half filled glove. "You already have four star chips!" Addy asked, stunned. "Yeah," he replied. "I beat Weevil Underwood to gain two, and then Mako Tsunami to earn one star chip." Addy got a confused look on her face. Shouldn't you have five then?"

Yugi now looked at Joey, who was just beginning to wake up. "Well, Joey there originally wasn't invited to the tournament," Yugi began. "But he needed the prized money to help his sister, so I gave him one of my star chips." Yugi said, now smiling himself. "You're very generous Yugi. First you gave him a Time Wizard, then a star chip?" Addy couldn't believe her luck. She had to have met the nicest guy in the world. Yugi didn't answer, knowing that hers was a rhetorical question. Instead he readied himself for the day ahead of him, making sure his deck was prepared, and going through a series of strategies he'd thought about using.

"Hey guys, ready to duel?" Joey asked no one in particular. He still had the look of having just woken up. His long blond hair was jutting out in all directions, and he still looked tired. "Sure, Joey. I was just thinking about looking for an opponent." Addy replied, as she put on her backpack and returned her deck to it's worn out holding box attached to her belt. "Do you want us to come with you?" Yugi asked Addy as she began to walk. "You can if you want to, but I'm ready to go." She said, and winked as she continued to walk away. "We'll catch up with you later Addy!" Yugi said, as he waited for Joey to get ready. She waved her good bye and was on her way.

"What a beautiful island." Addy said to herself as she continued to walk. The sky was a saturated blue by now, and there was not a cloud to be seen. There was a wood to her north, where she could hear countless birds singing happily. And all around her walked aspiring duelists, everywhere a chance to earn new star chips. Now itching for a duel, she walked up to a girl who stood alone in a field. "Would you like to duel? My name is Addy." She said, wanting to be polite. "Sure, I'll duel," she replied, "My name is Jess." Addy followed Jess as she walked over to a dueling platform. "What shall we wager?" Addy asked Jess as the climbed to her dueling position. "How about two star chips?" Jess replied. "Okay, two star chips." Addy replied, as she removed them from her duelist glove and placed them on the field representation just in front of her, and then she placed her deck next to them.

"I'll go first." Addy said as she drew her cards. She looked at them thoughtfully before speaking. "I'll place two cards face down," she said, as to cards materialized face down on the field. "And then I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." She concluded, as now her monster card appeared on the field.

Jess silently drew her card, and quickly started her turn. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn." She said. One card then materialized in her magic/trap zone.

"That was quick." Addy said to herself as she drew a card. "I summon Gemini Elf (atk 1900, def 900) to the field in attack mode." As she did so, a pair of elf like creatures appeared on the field. "I end my turn."

Still being silent, Jess drew her next card, and smiled. "I summon the mighty Tri Horned Dragon (atk 2850, def 2350) in attack mode!" She exclaimed, and a large dark dragon appeared on the field with large claws and three large horns sprouting from its head. Addy gasped in disbelief. She had never before faced a duel monster this powerful. "Now my dragon, attack her Gemini Elf." Jess commanded. Within seconds Addy's Gemini Elf was destroyed, leaving her with 950 life points.

Seeming to recover from her loss, Addy quickly drew her next card and began her turn. "I'll flip summon my Cyber Jar (atk 900, def 900) in order to activate its special ability." All of a sudden, all monsters on both sides of the field were destroyed. "When Cyber Jar is flipped," Addy explained, "all monsters on the field are sent to the graveyard, after which both players pick up five cards and show them to each other. Any level four or lower monsters are automatically either set in defense mode or summoned in attack mode." She said, as she drew her five cards.

Addy showed her hand to Jess, who then showed her hand to Addy. 'Not a bad draw' Addy said to herself as she picked up her cards. Among them was a Magician of Faith (atk 300, def 400), and a Mask of Darkness (atk 900, def 400); both of which she set face down on the field. She now had two cards in play that she needed to summon one of her most powerful monsters; but how long would it take for her to draw it? Jess set the Big Shield Gardna (atk 100, def 2600) that she drew in defense position. Knowing that there was no way she could break through Gardna's defense at the time, Addy ended her turn.

"I place one more card face down and end my turn." Jess said after drawing a card, and one more card appeared in her magic and trap card zone.

Addy drew her next card and added it to her had. "I'll activate one of my face down cards; Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw a card from my deck." She did so, and placed the new card in her hand. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Beginning her turn, Jess added another card to her hand. "I summon Red Eyes Black Dragon (atk 2400, def 2000) in attack mod-" She started, but was quickly interrupted. "I activate Torrential Tribute!" Addy exclaimed, once again destroying every monster on the field. Jess snorted in disgust as another one of her dragons was destroyed. "I activate Card Destruction." Jess grumbled, and then discarded her hand to draw four new cards. Addy drew three after discarding her hand. "I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Tri Horned Dragon, and attack the monster on your left." Jess said, destroying Addy's Mask of Darkness.

Addy wasted no time drawing her card and getting her turn started. "First, I'll activate my Mask's special ability, and bring back my Jar of Greed card, and place it face down on the field, along with one other card, and end my turn." She did so, and two cards materialized in her magic and trap card zone.

Jess drew her card and summoned yet another dragon. "I summon Serpent Knight Dragon (atk 2350, def 2400) to the field in attack mode. Serpent Dragon, attack her face down Magician of Faith." Her dragon did so and Addy's magician was destroyed. "Next, I activate my Destiny Board trap card." A large purple 'F' appeared on the field, Addy once again gasped in surprise. She now had much heavier pressure on her shoulders. She now had to win the duel within five turns, lest find a way to destroy Jess's trap.

"I'll set one monster in defense mode and end my turn." Addy said, disappointed as she wasted one move.

Jess drew her next card, smiling now. "I use my Destiny Board's effect to activate Spirit Message 'I'." Addy watched now, as a large letter 'I' appeared next to the previously activated 'F'. "Just three more turns now, Addy." Jess reminded her. "Just three more turns and I win the duel. I now summon Koumori Dragon (atk 1500, def 1200) in attack mode. Koumori Dragon, attack her face down monster." Jess did so, and destroyed Addy's Big Eye (atk 1200, def 1000).

"Thank you for that," Addy said as she started to pick up cards from her deck. "Now that my Big Eye was flipped, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and rearrange them how I choose." Addy couldn't believe her luck; the monster she had been waiting for was now within range, but she had to take care of something else first. "Now I draw a card," She said, beginning her turn. "And I activate my Harpies Feather Duster to destroy your Destiny Board!" Jess once again snorted in disgust as now her guaranteed way out was foiled. "Next, I activate Pot of Greed," she said, drawing two more cards from her deck. "Now you'll see one of my strongest monsters, as I remove from play my Magician of Faith and my Mask of Darkness in order to special summon my Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (atk 3000, def 2500) in attack mode, and equip it with my Horn of the Unicorn magic card, raising it's attack power to an awesome 3700 points! Now, my soldier, attack her Koumori Dragon and obliterate the rest of her life points!" With one simple sword swipe, Jess's dragon was gone along with her life points.

"Well done Addy. I thought I had that one up until the end," Jess said, as the two step down from their dueling positions. "Here are your two star chips." She handed them over to Addy who was smiling with happiness as she usually was. "Thank you very much. I wish you luck in the future Jess." Addy replied, as she parted from another new friend.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Addy took her newly earned star chips as placed them next to her others in her glove. She now had five star chips. She was half way there. After they were snuggly in place, she returned her deck to its place on her belt, and began walking again. "My luck is amazing!" Addy said to herself as she walked. She thought back to her last two duels, and was still shocked. In both duels, she'd been against the ropes for a majority of the duel, and in both duels, she'd won with a single attack.

-1 Year Earlier-

"Please, Mike! Please teach me how to duel!" Addy begged, as her brother sat beside her watching television. Addy had her hands together in a praying position, and she looked up at her brother with wide eyes. "Sure I'll teach you," Mike said. "I'll make a deck for you to use against mine." He said, holding his deck where Addy could see it. Mike walked over to a box in which he kept his cards that were not in his deck, and began going through them. After shuffling the cards around and putting a deck together for what seemed like hours to Addy, he finally handed her a stack of cards. "Here you go. You'll use this deck." He said, and led Addy to a small coffee table that the two used to play countless board games and card games. "For now," he continued, "we won't count life points. Let's just get the basics down." He said, and sat on the floor at one end of the table. "Okay!" Addy said happily, and sat at the end opposite her brother. "Let's not forget our field maps." Mike said, setting one in front of him, and sliding one over to Addy for her to use for reference.

"Now," Mike instructed. "At the beginning of each turn, each player draws five cards from their decks." Mike did so, followed by Addy. "Okay, now look at the field, and tell me what you see." Addy did so. "Well, I see two rows of five card outlines." She replied. Mike continued. "Good. The top row is used like this, from left to right: Graveyard," he said, pointing to the area just above Addy's deck. "Followed by your monster card zone," he continued, pointing at the next five outlines. "And then finally the field card zone. You remember what field cards are, right?" Addy sighed. "Yes, I remember."

"Now let's cover the bottom row. Obviously, your deck comes first." Mike said, now pointing at Addy's deck. "The next five belong to magic and trap cards, and the last is where you place fusion monsters." He concluded.

"Okay…let's see…" Addy said, studying the cards she held in her hand. "I play…Sword Stalker (atk 2000, def 1600) in attack mode." She said happily, as she played her card. "Good, not bad," her brother coached. "Remember, vertical for attack mode, and horizontal for defense mode." Addy sighed again. "I know, I know. I'm not totally ignorant." She laughed, as did Mike. "And then…I play one card face down." She concluded, and placed a card in her magic and trap card zone.

"Okay, it's my turn," Mike said, drawing a card and adding it to his hand. "I play the Summoned Skull (atk 2500, def 1200) in attack mode. Now, I'll have him attack your Sword Stalker in order to show you how life points are kept track of. First, you take the attack points of the attacking monster," he said, pointing to his Summoned Skull. "And you subtract the attack points of the monster being attacked," he continued, as he pointed to Addy's Sword Stalker. "And you take that difference and subtract it from your total of 2000 life points. In this case, 2500 minus 2000 is 500, so I take 500 and subtract it from your 2000 life points and you're left with a total of 1500 life points." Addy's eyes lit up. "Oh! I see. I always wondered how that was figured."

"Hey Addy." It was Yugi again, launching Addy from her reflection on her last duel. "How are you doing?" He asked cheerfully. "I'm great," Addy said, holding up her dueling glove for Yugi and Joey to see. "Wow, Addy, you won another duel, and once again I didn't get to see it." Yugi said, sounding a bit ashamed for not being there for her. "Don't worry Yugi. I can take care of myself." She paused and laughed. "I had another lucky win today. I won the duel with one attack." Yugi smiled. "That's awesome Addy! Keep that up and you'll be a champion in no time." Yugi now looked at her with a concerned look. "Addy, I have to keep working on getting my star chips. But I'll see you later, okay?" Addy looked at Yugi with a comforting look. "Don't worry about it Yugi. I'll see you later." As she walked away, she heard Joey yell his good bye to her, and she was once again on her way to find another duel.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

'_I'd better hurry up too if I want to get all ten of my star chips in time for the semi finals',_ Addy thought to herself as she continued to walk. She had been told that the participants in the tournament were given only two days to earn their star chips, making today her last day to earn them. _'I could risk all five of the star chips that I already have,' _she thought, _'but if I lost, I'd be shipped off of the island, and that can't happen.'_ By now, Addy was looking at her star-studded glove. Five metallic stars were placed there. Was it worth risking all five on one duel? "Oh, I don't know," Addy found herself saying out loud as she continued to walk. "I've had good luck…but it never lasts…Maybe I'll risk three next." She said to herself, and decided to sit down to contemplate her situation.

Addy slipped off her backpack, and retrieved her deck from her belt. "If I'm going to pull this off, I'm going to need more power," Addy said, as she pulled a box of cards out of her backpack. "And I know just the cards to add." She started shuffling through the box, just as her brother did a year before. "C'mon where are you? Ah! There you are. My brother's most treasured cards." Addy said, now looking at five cards she had just retrieved from the old box. "Now let's just hope that I have luck enough to draw all of you." After retrieving the cards, Addy returned the card box to her backpack.

"I hope this works." Addy said, staring at the newly retrieved cards.

-6 Months Ago-

"Now that you know how to duel," Mike said, as he grabbed another handful of cards from his card box, "I want you to hold on to these for me." Addy gasped in shock. "Mike, I didn't know you had these cards! Where on Earth did you get them!" Mike placed his finger against his lips motioning to Addy to quiet down. "These cards were given to me a long time ago. They were originals until someone fraudulently made more copies." Addy looked at mike with wide eyes once again. "Really? Why would they do that?" Addy asked him.

Mike got a serious look on his face. "I don't know. They probably wanted power. Listen Addy," Mike said, now dropping and looking Addy directly in the eye. "Here in about six months, Maxemillion Pegasus is going to host a Duelist Kingdom tournament. I'm scheduled to compete, but I'm not going to." Addy once again gasped, as she was well aware of Mike's dominate position as a duelist. "I want you to go." Mike said, and looked at the five cards he had just given Addy. "And I want you to win the tournament with those cards."

"I don't know Mike, I'm not good enough to enter a tournament of that magnitude…"Addy began, now looking at her new cards. "Not even with cards this powerful." Mike shifted his gazed from the cards to Addy. "Not yet," he said. "But in no time I'll have you following in my footsteps. You'll be world renowned, just like me." Mike smiled at Addy trying to cheer up, and succeeded. She looked back at him with her usual smile. "Thanks for the cards Mike. I'll see that they're put to good use."

----

Addy added the cards to her deck and then returned it to her deck box, as he slowly rose to her feet and beginning to walk again. "Now to find an opponent…" Addy said, as she continued to walk. "I'll duel you." It was a voice coming from behind Addy. She turned quickly, not knowing that someone was behind her. He was a tall young man, perhaps eighteen. He had short dark hair, and an athletic build. He was wearing causal clothes. "Okay," Addy started. "It's nice to meet you, my name is Addy." She said, holding out her hand as she introduced herself. "My name is Kyle. It's nice to meet you too." He said, as he shook her hand. "How many star chips do you want to wager?" he asked her after his introduction. Addy looked at his duelist glove and saw seven star chips, worrying her secretly. "How about…." She began, thinking about the new cards she'd added to her deck. "Five star chips?" She asked, not believing what she'd done. "Five?" Kyle asked, now looking at her glove. "Are you sure you want to risk them all?" Addy thought for a moment. "Yes. I believe I can beat you." Kyle laughed to himself. "So be it." He replied, as they both climbed to their dueling positions.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Ladies first." Kyle said as he placed his deck on his field. "Thanks." Addy replied, as she drew her hand. "I'll set two cards face down," Addy continued, taking two cards from you hand and placing them on the field. "And then I summon Goblin Attack Force (atk 2300, def 0) in attack mode, and end my turn." Addy concluded, and a group of goblin soldiers appeared on her side of the field.

"I'll place one card face down, and set one monster in defense mode." Kyle said, after he drew his cards.

Addy drew her card and added it to her hand. "Goblin Attack Force, attack the face down monster card." Addy commanded. One of her goblins proceeded, and destroyed the monster. Before she knew what happened, the field was cleared of all cards. "What just happened?" Addy asked herself in confusion.

"You attacked my Fiber Jar (atk 500, def 500). When this monster is flipped, everything from each player's hand, field, and graveyard is returned to their deck, after which the deck is shuffled," he said, as he began combining his cards with his deck. Addy also did so as Kyle continued to explain his monster's effect. "Once the deck is shuffled, each player draws five cards." He continued, now drawing his new hand. Addy also drew her cards. "Alright…I set one card face down and end my turn." She said.

"I, too, place one card face down," Kyle began, as one card appeared on the field. "I also play Leghul (atk 300, def 350) in attack mode." Addy laughed at the puny little worm. "Why in the world would you put something that weak in your deck?" Addy asked, still laughing to herself.

"My Leghul has the ability to bypass your monster and attack your life points directly." Kyle explained. "I activate the field card Umi." He said, and the field was immediately drenched in water. "Why would you activate that card? It doesn't help your Leghul any." Addy said. "But what it does do," He replied, "is it protects my life points when I activate my Tornado Wall." Addy looked on as nothing appeared to happen. "Leghul, attack her life points again." Kyle commanded, and Addy's life points fell to 1700.

"First I draw a card, of course…" Addy said, as she did so, and added a card to her hand. "I summon my Summoned Skull (atk 2500, def 1200) in attack mode. Summoned Skull, attack Kyle's Leghul!" Addy commanded. "I activate Mirror Force." Kyle said calmly, and Addy's Skull was destroyed. "No, my Summoned Skull!" Addy exclaimed as she watched her fiend disappear. "….I end my turn."

"I summon Ooguchi (atk 300, def 250) in attack mode." Kyle said, summoning a small purple beast to the field. "Now Ooguchi and Leghul, attack her life points directly!" Kyle commanded, and Addy's life points fell to 1100.

"No; this isn't happening…" Addy said to herself as she drew a card from her deck. "I summon my Dark Magician Girl (atk 2000, def 1700) in attack mode." Addy said, as her skirted spell caster appeared on the field. "Now, Dark Magician Girl" "Don't even think about it." Kyle said. "Why not?" Addy asked, frustrated. "Because I activate my Gravity Bind. This card stops all monsters above level four from attacking." Addy looked on, still frustrated, as her monster was bound to the field, unable to attack. "I end my turn."

"I set one card face down and end my turn." Kyle said, and another card appeared face down on the field.

"Okay," Addy said, as she drew a card and added it to her hand. "I activate Harpies Feather Duster to destroy your Gravity Bind." Addy said. To her amazement, his card was still intact. "What did you do?" Addy asked Kyle as he activated his face down card. "I won the duel." Addy's jaw dropped. "What are you talking about?" Kyle laughed quietly to himself. "I activate my Judgment of Anubis trap card. This card stops you from trying to destroy one of my magic or trap cards on the field, and it also let's me destroy one of your monsters and subtract its attack points from your life points. And I choose your Dark Magician Girl." Kyle said matter-of-factly as Addy's magician was destroyed, and her life points dropped to zero. Addy almost immediately felt tears filling her eyes as she swept her cards together and placed them in the deck box at her hip. As she walked off of the platform and onto the ground, she removed her star chips from her glove. "Here; take them." Addy said, as she handed Kyle her chips. Kyle looked at her with a concerned look on his face, and Addy quickly turned and walked away.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Addy wait," She heard Kyle say, as he began to jog after her. Addy continued to walk, still crying as she could only think about how she let her brother down. A hand grabbed her shoulder. "Addy," Kyle said, pulling Addy to a stop. "Addy, what do you play for? Any other duelist here would just shrug of a loss, and go home. Why does it bother you so much that you don't advance to the semi finals?" Kyle asked, once again looking Addy in the eye.

Addy wiped the tears from her cheeks as she began to tell him about her brother. "I'm playing in my brother's honor," She began, still crying. "To prove to him that I'm not a failure… and I couldn't do it; I failed him."

Kyle looked down to his hand where he still held Addy's star chips. Addy was still crying, and he felt generous. "I'll tell you what." He began, catching Addy's attention. "I'll give your star chips back. But you'd better win this tournament. Think of these as a gift. I do not want them back." He said, sternly as he handed her a handful of stars, and began to walk away.

Addy, still crying and slightly unsure of what just happened, looked down to her hand where he'd placed the chips. To her amazement, in her palm lay ten star chips. Addy looked up in order to inform Kyle of his obvious mistake, although she saw no one. He was already gone. Addy looked down at her palm again and began to laugh, as her fortune returned, and she began to plug the star chips into her glove. She wiped away the rest of her tears as began to walk; now searching for Yugi. And she knew exactly where to find him.

Addy immediately began to head for Pegasus's castle at the heart of the island. She couldn't help but smile; just as before, she had extraordinary luck, although this time she learned that luck can run out.

-3 Months Ago-

The crowd cheered as one Seto Kaiba easily won the televised tournament that Mike was hosting. Pegasus was seen walking up to him, raising Kaiba's arm in victory. "Congratulations, Seto Kaiba! You have won an invitation to my exclusive Duelist Kingdom tournament!" Pegasus proudly declared.

"Did you see that, mom?" Addy asked; smiling as her mom sat next to her on the couch. "Yes, honey, I'm right here." She replied, and Addy continued. "Wow, I wish I was Mike! I wish I could've seen that live!" She said, still smiling.

"Alright, Addy; it's time to go to bed honey." Addy was told. Her smile vanished. She hated going to bed when there was this much excitement going on. "Go on, go to bed. Your brother will be here tomorrow to tell you all about it." Addy smiled again, and finally agreed to go to bed.

Addy woke the next day and found the house apparently silent. She got up quickly, wanting badly to interview her brother about the tournament. She raced into the kitchen, only to find her mom sitting there, crying.

"What's wrong mom? Where's Mike?" Addy asked, as she began to rub her mom's back. That usually made her feel better. "Mike died, Addy." Her mother replied abruptly, and continued to cry. Addy's jaw dropped. She ran back to her room and threw herself onto her bed. She could breathe. How could Mike be dead?

-----

Within an hour, Addy reached the castle. She walked up to the entrance, where she saw what seemed to be a relief with ten stars missing from it. Addy quickly removed her star chips and placed them inside, after which the door opened. "The real action is on the balcony" She overheard on of the guards say. With nothing better to do, she headed in that direction.

She slowly walked through the main hall. It was decorated beautifully, and the large center table appeared to be set for the semifinalists, although food had not been prepared yet. _'I must be early'_, Addy thought to herself, as she continued to walk; now looking for stairs to reach the balcony. As she exited the hall through a door opposite the entrance, she saw the stairway she was looking for, and began to climb.

When she came to the top, she heart nearly leapt out of her chest as she heard Yugi scream. "Stop!" He cried. Fearing that he was in trouble, Addy started to run, and was stunned at the sight before her.

To her left, was Yugi on his knees, surrounded by countless holograms of Kuribo. Just ahead of him with a sword drawn, was the Celtic Guardian.

To her right, Addy saw Seto Kaiba. He was standing on the ledge of the castle, dangerously close to falling. In front of him sat a dragon. Addy knew this monster; it was the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. But something wasn't right. From its stomach emerged what appeared to be a Mammoth Graveyard. The dragon appeared to be rotting from the inside out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"Yugi!" Addy exclaimed, now running to his side. "Yugi, are you okay?"

Yugi, still on his hands and knees, continued to cry.

"He was willing to go all the way..." Yugi uttered through his tears.

"Yugi, what are you talking about?" Addy asked confused.

"I'm scared of him, Addy..." Yugi said. Addy looked over to Kaiba, assuming that Yugi was referring to him.

"Yugi, Kaiba's no-"

"Not Kaiba! Yami..." He growled. "I'm so scared...that I shall never duel again!" Yugi declared.

"Yugi..." Addy began, unsure of what to say. She hated seeing her friends like this. Even if she'd only known them for a day or two.

Kaiba stepped down from his place on the ledge as his holographic monsters disappeared, and said something to Yugi. Addy didn't hear any of it. She was to worried about Yugi.

"C'mon, Yugi..." She said, patting him on the shoulder as she helped him up. He was still crying. "Let's go sit down inside and cool off. It's just a duel; everything is going to be okay." She said with her usual smile.

Yugi wiped the tears from his face and smiled back at her as they retreated into the castle.

--1 week ago--

"Addy, you've got a package." It was her mother; she always collected the mail.

Addy ran down the stairs, excited. She loved getting packages; it didn't matter who they were from. Addy snatched the package from her mothers hands, smiling, and sat in the living room, setting the package on the coffee table. Addy was shaking with excitement as she saw Pegasus's name on the return address of the package. Without wasting any time, Addy ripped the box open. She found a tape, an envelop, two metallic stars, and a glove.

Addy removed the tape from it's resting place and plugged it into the VCR. Pegasus appeared on the tape, and addressed Addy personally.

"Hello, Addison." Pegasus began. Addy was overflowing with happiness. "I've sent you this package to congratulate you on your qualification to enter my exclusive Duelist Kingdom Tournament!" He continued. Addy looked away from the television, still listening however, as she returned to the box on the coffee table and examined the other items.

"I've given you two start chips to use as both your key to enter the tournament, and your tools to find yourself in the finals. Use the gloved I've supplied to store them. Remember, these stars are your ticket onto the island. Do not lose them." Pegasus abandoned his serious tone and returned to his seemingly happy self. "Once again, congratulations on gaining entry to the tournament, and hopefully I'll see you in a few days."

The tape ended, now revealing only a blank screen. Addy turned off the VCR, along with the TV and returned to her package.

She pulled out the glove and put it on.

"This is awesome!" Addy explained, now removing the star chips and placing them in her glove. Then her attention returned to the package. Pegasus hadn't explained the envelop. She removed it now, curious. She tore it open, and a set of cards fell out. They appeared to be duel monsters cards, but there was no writing on them. She picked one of them up. It had a picture of a castle on it.

"Is this Duelist Kingdom?" She asked herself quietly.


End file.
